New Blog Address

Hey, Mom,

I bought my domain name, so I moved everything over to my new blog.  Please update your Google Reader with my new url and join me over there.

New Home!

Folks, I'm taking an adventure.  Come with me!

Stimulated Economy

I did a bit of shopping.  But I have excuses.

Have you tried to find any of this lately?  Nope.  Not hardly available unless you want canvas or the new line Pure.

One thing I've learned is that you MUST buy yardage when you buy pre-cuts, and since I have a couple charm packs of Hushabye, I needed this to go with it.  

Okay, so this Dolce was only $5.99 a yard here, so I had to get six yards to keep my other Dolce fabrics company.  (Hurry, sale ends 5/17)

And remember this quilt?  Well, someone else requested one, so I'm on the hunt for this Marcus Brothers Metro Au Naturale fabric.  Can't find it anywhere!  If you see it somewhere, please let me know because I need to make this into a king...not sure yet how I'm going to turn 6 FQ into a king-size quilt.

I had to buy these because the FQ's here were 10 for $15.  Yes, I bought 30 (not all are shown in this pic).  For some reason Civil War reproductions are speaking to me.

And these are supposed to end up as a man quilt, but I'm not sure they are as manly as they need to be.  Which is a shame since I have 11 yards.  What do you think?  Do they work together?  These are also Civil War repros.

And I've been stalking this pattern ever since I saw the one Ryan made for QuiltDad.

Loving Kaffe Fassett, I ran into a BOM using his fabrics.  Like I could say no...  BTW, the picture does not show how vibrant the quilt really is.  It was so lovely I almost licked it in the store.  (TMI??)

No longer am I a vision of organized loveliness. 

Wonky WIP

Here's what I'm working on now, but I still have three more rows to stick up there.  Thinking about white sashing-- what do you think?  Once again, sorry for only taking pics at midnight.  I must find better lighting.

Friday Finish-Mary Engelbreit

Woo Hoo!  A Friday finish.  I am so glad to put this quilt behind me-- just in time for AmyLouWho's Sew & Tell, too.  This quilt was from a mystery class using layer cakes.  I love the backing-- just a fun plaid from who-knows-when.

Also, Erika gave me the privilege of quilting her first quilt. Go visit her blog-- she has immaculate taste.  She has a real eye for color, so there's always something inspiring to see. Here's a taste of her quilt.

It just makes me want to eat sweet tarts.  Simply delicious.

Have a good weekend.  I hope you guys get some sewing done.  As for me, I'll be spending the weekend with family in Houston.  Happy Mother's Day, Girls.  Mom, wish you were here.

Winner, Winner! Oh, and of course a Chicken Dinner!

You know, Cinco de Mayo is big around here.  Not only is it a holiday, but it's my son's 5th birthday.  It's also his teacher's birthday, and we love her!  In honor of this day, I'm sharing one of my weeknight recipes that's super easy.  It takes about 10 minutes to make, start to finish.  No kidding!  It's also great for summer because it's light.  You can eat this in 100 degree weather without feeling miserable.

Chicken Tacos with Salsa Verde Cream

2/3 c light sour cream
2 T green chiles, diced (from the can)
2 T cilantro (fresh)
1/4 t salt
a dash of something spicy, like pepper paste or cayenne or something
12 taco shells, warmed
4 c shredded chicken breast (cooked)
cheddar, grated
1/2 c shredded lettuce
2 tomatoes, chopped

• Stick the taco shells in the oven while you prepare the salsa verde cream.
• Combine the sour cream, chiles, cilantro, salt, and pepper paste (or whatever you're using for a hint of heat) in a small bowl.  
• Fill shells with equal amounts of chicken, lettuce, and tomatoes.  Top each with 2 T of sour cream mixture.

*Added note:  This is only a 10 minute recipe if you keep cooked chicken on hand or have some leftover rotisserie chicken. or grilled chicken. or frozen Tyson fajita chicken.  Oh, and you must have your oven preheated.
**One more thing-- this is a light recipe, not like many of my Mexican recipes!  Like I said, it's a weeknight recipe.
***And if you live in Houston or San Antonio area, go to HEB and buy the seasoned, cooked, shredded chicken in the meat section.  It's perfect for this or enchiladas or whatever.

And now for the winner of the giveaway--  #38 Susana!  Susana, I'll e-mail you and send your goodies before the week is over! I hope you enjoy them.  As for the rest of you, stay tuned for more quilting, more Mexican recipes, and possibly more Mexican vanilla.

Lilly Pulitzer at Wal-Mart?

Yes, I'm trying not to shop much since I need to buy a farm, but sometimes, I just can't help myself.  It's necessary.  Like, for instance, when you see Lilly Pulitzer sponsored animal crackers.  Really?  Lilly just doesn't seem like the type who would have items for sale at Wal-Mart, so I'm just giddy.  Now I don't have to drive 30 minutes to the mall to see her wares, or even turn on the computer.  Nope, I just have to open my pantry, which is something I'm doing way too often anyway.  (Speaking of diets, I'm 5 pounds down... from my ten pound weight gain... after my twenty pound weight loss.  Heck, I don't even know where I am any  more, but wherever I am, I'm in tight pants, hence the diet.).

I also picked up a stack at my LQS for a sample I'm making.  I'm going to teach a class, so I need fabrics from the shop to make my display.  More on that later.

 And I picked up some charm packs because I'm completely addicted to half square triangles, thanks to a certain someone. (Thanks, Rita!)  In fact, here's how my Nouveau project is going.  Yep, it's growing.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway.  You have until Tuesday at 8pm CST.  Good luck!

I heart the mail man [sic].

It was definitely a good mail day!  First up, a Kona color card I won over at The Purl Bee.  Just think, they were busy moving into their new space, and they still found time to stick my prize in the mail.  Thanks, guys!  BTW, have you seen the pics of their new shop?  I'm dying to visit.  Makes me want to do some handwork....as if I don't have a bajillion bindings to do.

Also, remember how I said I needed to find a way for my quilting addiction to pay for itself?  Well, I ordered mini moo cards after I saw how cute Carla Barrett's were.  All business people have cards, right?  Yes, I needed some. First I saw the cute box which whispered, "Open them. Quick!"

And I did.  I love that they put a little divider for "mine" and "theirs."  That's so optimistic!  They think I'm going to have friends who have  mini moo cards:-)  If you have one, will you send it to me?  That way I can have at least one behind the tab!

But then I pulled out the little cards (they are only 3x1 inches!!).

Yes, those are pictures of my quilts on the back, with my detail information on the front.  Aren't those moo people clever?!  They are also very affordable.  (No, they aren't my sponsors.)  They also estimated that it would take almost two weeks.  Nope.  They arrived in one.  I went to the mailbox thinking I'd get grocery ads, but no, I got moo cards.  Yea, me!

I think the cards are working, too, despite the fact that I haven't passed out a single one.  Yes, people have been paying me to quilt lately.  Heck, I just thought if I put "professional" that people would assume it was true since "rookie" longarm quilter seems less enticing.  Oh, well!  Anyway, I just feel like such a big girl!

Wordless WIP Wednesday- such a thing?

Lila Tueller

I've been carrying this Lila Tueller jellyroll for a while, and I finally found something to do with it!  yea!  I'm going to use it in my next mystery class.  No, the other two fabrics aren't from the same line; however, the green fabric is another Lila Tueller-- just another line.

Don't forget about the giveaway.  It ends May 4 at 8pm CST.

Giveaway- 50th Post!

50 posts already?  This is my first giveaway, and I had the hardest time trying to come up with something.  I ended up gathering some things that were special to Texas/San Antonio/me.  If you haven't been here, please come visit.  I'll go ahead and send your souvenirs now.  All you have to do is leave a comment.  I'll (try to) use a random generator to pick a winner on Tuesday, May 4 at 8pm-ish (CST).  

Here's what's in the giveaway:

1.  Your very own San Antonio Riverwalk reusable grocery bag (never been used!)
2.  Julio's tortilla chips (let me know if you need a good salsa or chile con queso recipe to go with them.)
3.  Mexican vanilla (use this in place of vanilla extract).  It. will. change. your. life.  No kidding.
4.  Two Texas fat quarters (Moda)
5.  Two Dia De Los Muertos fat quarters (Alexander Henry)
6.  A bluebonnet fat quarter-- our state flower! (Moda)
7.  One of my coveted Virgin Mary (Love her!) panels (Robert Kaufman)

Good Luck!

Giveaway FAQ's
Q:  If we're related, can I still win?
A:  Yes, Mom.

Q:  If I don't like Texas, can I have something else?
A:  What did you have in mind?

Q:  Why didn't you put any Texas A&M things in here?
A:  Accident.

Q:  When I come to San Antonio, may I take you to lunch?
A:  Yes, please!

Any other questions?  Just e-mail me or leave them in the comments. 

Fiesta & Fruit

This is my favorite time of year.  For the next several months, it's all about fresh fruit, veggies, and farmer's markets.

It's also time for Fiesta in San Antonio! Everyone was out of school Friday for Battle of the Flowers parade.  The city is vibrant-- parties everywhere, girls with flowers in their hair, embroidered Mexican cotton dresses and skirts, and floral wreaths adorn the doors on our homes.  Have you been to San Antonio before?  This is indeed the best time of year to visit-- during Fiesta.

Three Guesses

Three guesses what I've been doing this week...

... yep.  More feathering.  I quilted 4 quilts this week.  Anyway, three quilts were for one of my gal pals, and this one will hopefully be done tomorrow.  I loaded this big sucker last night, and I worked on it for about 8-9 hours today.  Really.  So, when I have something big to show you, I'll be back!

Other excitement?  Well, this is my 50th post, so there will be a giveaway.  I have part of the prize, so let me gather the rest, and I'll meet you back here:-)

I'm a feathering fool, and I'm not talking hair!

 I was determined to figure out how to feather quilt, so I used the Sally Terry Hooked on Feathers method, and after the test panel, I jumped right in and feathered one of Kim's quilts (Fabric is Astor Manor).

I do have a lot of practice and learning ahead of me.  For instance, I don't know how to bury my knots. Yeah, need to figure that out.  And I need to work on my points.  Oh, and my hand-eye coordination still isn't where it needs to be.  But I do like the overall effect.

Oh, and Mom, you can click on the pics to enlarge them.

This is a throw-sized quilt with about seven hours of labor involved on the long arm.  That includes loading it and winding bobbins, too.  I had to load it twice in order to get the side borders as a continuous layout.

How are you spending your Sunday afternoon?  I heard golf is going to be on my tv from 1pm until forever.  I guess that means I'm sewing.

The "Before" Shot- feather quilting

It's always important to take photos before and after your diet, right?  Well, you sure aren't getting a photo of me in spandex biker shorts and a sports bra, but I will give you my "before" pic of my feather quilting. 

One of the thing I love about long arm quilting is that your improvement rate is exponential. In fact, I can tell which end of practically any quilt I started quilting because the other end looks so much better.  Anyway, this was my first try quilting feathers, and I wanted to document the occasion.  They look way better than I had anticipated.  By the time I finish this 4 yard piece of practice fabric, I'm thinking I'll be ready to use real fabric.

Oh, and regarding the photo-- please ignore the gimp feather on the right.  You know the one.  I ran out of thread there and apparently I messed up my mojo.  Oh, and ignore my chalk lines.  But hey, pretend this was on a busy piece of fabric.  It would look 1000 times better, I'm sure!

Diets:-(

Did I mention my husband and I started a diet a month ago?  He lost 11 pounds the first two weeks, and I lost 1 1/2.    I think I've since found the lost pound.  Anyway, aside from us dieting, we have a new diet in mind.  A fabric diet.  Yes, you heard me. 

Here's the issue.  We want a farm.  Well, not 40 acres, but maybe 10.  I want to be able to have some chickens so I can have fresh eggs.  Yes, I've heard chickens are disgusting, but please, let me hang on to this dream.  If they're too disgusting, I'll eat them.  and the rooster, too.  Besides chickens, I want to garden and of course, compost.  But I want enough room to not have to smell the compost.  Anyway, if we are going to have our own little farm, we need the money to buy it.

I looked at our budget trying to figure out where I can make some changes.  You don't even want to know what my tab is for my quilting lifestyle.  It's a lot.  So I need to find a way for my hobby to pay for itself.  I think it's time I take on long arming some quilts to support my addiction.  Unless you have a better idea.

Happy Anniversary, Nina!

My mom is so cool.  Did you know that instead of an Easter basket each year, she had the Easter Bunny bring me a designer purse filled with lovely things like perfume, make up, coin purses, etc.?  (Added note: some of us didn't need the calories!)  This tradition started when I was in seventh grade and ended when I was a sophomore in college, 1993.  That year, the Easter Bunny brought me my Bernina 1000.

I love this machine.  In fact, when I was pregnant (2005), I told my husband that I wanted to name our daughter Nina, after my sewing machine.  Let's just say he's glad we had a son.  Mom bought this machine for $300 when a little sewing shop was going out of business and selling their classroom models.  It was a steal.  Years later, in 2004, I decided I wanted a fancy machine.  Being loyal to Bernina, I bought another one, which I've mostly been using since.  Of course, Nina still does my bindings because I'm cheap.  I just can't stomach the $169 to buy another walking foot for my new machine when I have one for my old machine.  Pathetic, isn't it?  Anyway, I just dusted off Nina a couple weeks ago and have been sewing on her lately, and it's like I'm falling in love all over again.  That's the best darn sewing machine in the world.  Do you have a favorite sewing machine? Or do you love all of your machines equally?

I'm off to sew a little more before bed, but I just had to let you guys know that it's almost the 17th anniversary of Nina coming to live with me.  Cheers!

By the way, can you figure out what I'm making yet?

Mystery Quilt/Mystery Quilting Design

I fell in love.  With Poppy by Laura Gunn for Michael Miller.  I mean really, though, who wouldn't love these fabrics?  From the moment I saw these fabrics, I couldn't wait to do something with them.  This weekend, I had another mystery class, and here's the product (minus the quilting).

You know, a poppy by any other name just isn't as sweet.
Any ideas on how I should quilt it?  I want to try something fancy.  Not sure if I should just do some feathery doodling or what.  I haven't tried that yet, and I'm kind of scared to do this on pretty fabric.

On another note, since I've been back from spring break, I've had a hard time getting back into quilting since I basically took off a week & went to my grandparents' house.  I looked at my fabric, but I just wasn't sure what to sew next.  Even Friday night-- I sat at the sewing table with my friend Kim and just looked at fabric but couldn't find anything to sew.  The good news, though, is that I've started my next project.  Here are the scraps.  Any idea what it's going to be?

My Kind of Neutrals

Another one finished!

Last spring, when my sister-in-law got married, my mom and I hit the local quilt shops and ended up at The Rabbit's Lair in Rogers, Arkansas.

After falling in love with these fabrics because they are my kind of neutrals, I knew exactly what I would do with them.  I made this quilt for my friend Kim who was battling breast cancer.  She needed something to show she was loved and supported (plus, this coordinated perfectly with her decor).

A year has gone by.  Now she's free of breast cancer.  Yea!

And is also now an avid quilter herself.  She's crazy-addicted!

I feel her pain:-)

Have you checked out AmyLouWho's Sew & Tell Fridays?  There are always some really cool projects to see, plus, and this is something I look forward to every Friday!

Chirp!

Here's another quilt.  I made this for Lizzy's baby.  Remember Lizzy?  I made wonky squares for her.  Hopefully she doesn't read the blog and this will be a surprise to her.

The fabric came with a series of panels, which was an unexpected surprise.

And then I added a little bit of fabric from my stash to add a little more depth to the chirp fabrics.  Easy peasy.

Sew & Tell- Totally Blue

Is this blue or what?

 I really kind of like it.  I just might have to stash bust a few more quilts in other color schemes using this pattern:-)

This took seven Class M bobbins to quilt.  Like, for real.

Have you checked out AmyLouWho's Sew & Tell?  Fun stuff.